Re: Outlook Express works intermittently, setup behind school board firewall

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From: PA Bear (PABear_at_mvps.org)
Date: 10/30/04 

Date: Sat, 30 Oct 2004 18:08:16 -0400

niteowl wrote:
>>>>>>> I was on the phone to the school's tech people, and they don't
>>>>>>> support using Outlook Express, though they say it should work
>>>>>>> okay, the ports necessary are open, and I have been able to
>>>>>>> occasionally retrieve and send hotmail using Outlook Express, but
>>>>>>> usually only one or two, then I get an error window, but it gives
>>>>>>> me NO information, just says there was an error.
>> <snip>
>>
>> Has the Hotmail account *ever* been configured and working in OE before
>> this?
>
> it had never been setup before, they were using their own mail server,
> but the principal uses Hotmail and I was trying to set it up for him
> through Outlook Express. I have had it working for him, but not rea
> regularly.

Effective 27 Sept-04, MSN/Hotmail discontinued free Hotmail access in OE and
OL. Unless the account had been running in OE/OL before that date, user
must subscribe to Hotmail Plus (US$19.95/year) for such access. Accounts
running in OE/OL prior to that date will continue to have free acess until
Mar/Apr-05.

> I called the school tech people and they said that no one uses Outlook
> Express and they didn't know much about it, but that nothing in the
> firewall configuration should be blocking it, and the fact that I
> could get it working sometime supports that.
>
> at first it would not connect at all, so I ran the setup for a new
> mail account, then I ran the windows update from MS and installed all
> critical updates, but did not install SP2, after that it worked a
> couple of times, meaning I could bring in headers, download a message
> and create a message and send it. I have it set NOT to automatically
> download messages, I also have it set for plain text.
>
> BUT, most of the time, when I open OE, it brings in the headers
> (inbox) and then it will not download specific messages, I get an
> error saying it could not, I don't remember the exact error message,
> and then when I try to create a new outgoing message all I get is an
> error box that pops up, saying there is an error, but no other infor
> is available.
>
> It also appears to have frozen in that I can't view other folders, it
> seems stuck on the inbox.... so it perhaps I'm losing connectivity for
> some reason... but all other internet functions are working fine.

1. Have the user access the account online and clean out Inbox and all other
folders.

2. Create a new Named Identity and try the account in it. Assuming all is
well, import any messages from the local folders of the old identity and
then delete the old identity. (Don't bother with any messages in Hotmail
folders.)

>> If a proxy is in use (not unknown or unexpected in a school setting),
>> Hotmail will not be accessible in OE, even if it *had* been before
>> connecting via the school's internet connection.
>
> I'm sure they use a proxy too, but as I'm not that familiar with XP
> I'm not sure how to find out what those settings are. Tell me and
> I'll be happy to find it.

Check IE connection settings at IE Tools>Internet
Options>Connections>LAN>...

>> Uninstalling/reinstalling or repairing OE is not called for and won't fix
>> the problem.
>
> I used the Add/Remove function to uninstall OE and the update for it,
> and though it now no longer shows in the Add/Remove list, the shortcut
> is still on the menu and it still opens then clicking on it!
>
> Is this normal behavior or is there something wrong with the
> installation?

What entry did you use to uninstall OE? CrystalBallİ sez you just
uninstalled an OE update:

OE Help>About> What version is displayed here? More importantly, in the
lower box of Files, what version is MSOE.DLL?

> so, what can I do now... step by step info.. as I'm not familiar with
> XP.. I'm a win98se man. ;-)

As much as I admire your fortitude (you're sure learning a lot about XP
<w>), perhaps it'd be best to let the user or someone more familiar with
WinXP take it from here. 

-- 
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE)

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